<h2>Buying Guide: Stickbaits</h2><p><em>Stickbaits</em> are classic <strong>hard lures</strong>, made mostly from plastic, with an elongated body. At first glance they look like plugs with the lip removed. That can make them seem unlikely to attract predators - until you work them properly, and that impression disappears fast.</p><p><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/9197/0669/files/Illex-Tiny-Fry-50-SP-NF-HL-Gold-Trout.jpg" alt="Stickbait von Illex" width="302" height="302"></p><h2>When and Where to Use Them</h2><p><em>Stick- or pencilbaits</em> come into their own in warmer water. As a rule of thumb, you can fish them throughout the day in early summer (roughly from May onwards) and in autumn. During the hottest part of summer, the early morning and late evening hours are the prime windows for these lures - times when baitfish are frequently close to the surface, feeding on particles or insects.</p><p>They are also hard to beat when fishing over weed beds or whenever you spot perch or asp in a feeding frenzy - tie one on quickly. In those situations the cigar-shaped hard lures are difficult to match. Worth remembering: <strong>floating models</strong> shine in calm conditions, while <strong>slightly sinking versions</strong> do the better job when there is a chop on the water.</p><h2>Target Species, Tackle and Presentation</h2><p>As with most surface hard lures, the main quarry for stickbaits are pike, asp and perch. They were originally developed in the USA for largemouth bass fishing, so they deserve a place in any tackle box aimed at those predators too. The standard presentation is the <em>walk-the-dog</em> style, which imitates an injured baitfish. You achieve it with <strong>short, not-too-hard twitches</strong> into the taut line, then recover the resulting slack with the reel as you bring the rod back towards the lure. Short, stiff rods are well suited to this technique - hold them in roughly the seven-o-clock position in front of your body. The timing and length of each twitch depends on the model you are using, the target species and the situation. As a general rule, the looser the line between twitches, the wider the lure will dart to each side.</p><p>For pike, longer pauses between twitches tend to pay off, while perch respond to a steady, fairly brisk rhythm. Asp demand the fastest pace you can manage. For more detailed tips, take a look at the Pike &amp; Perch blog posts on asp fishing and surface lure fishing.</p>